Man's road
by Vampkestrel
Summary: a song fic about ryoga *finally a ryoga fic with a happy ending*


Mans Road  
  
  
Ok disclaimer I do not own Ranma or any of the character nor do I own the song mans road. For those of you wondering it's by Americana (I think) and is off the soundtrack of The Last Unicorn.  
~Thoughts~ "talking (duh)" words to know kawaii=cute baka=stupid hentai=pervert  
  
  
Horizon rising up to meet the purple dawn.  
Dust demon, screaming, bring an eagle to lead me on.  
For in my heart I carry such a heavy load.  
Here I am, on Man's Road.  
Walking man's road.  
  
Ryoga walks down yet another unfamiliar path as he loses himself, tormented by his thoughts.   
~Why must I be made to suffer. It's all that cursed Ranma's fault. Who are you kidding you Baka, it's not him that once again got me lost. Though he does have a lot to answer for. ~  
The eternally lost boy walks on oblivious to the fact that he's once again and the Tendo Dojo. He looks up as a familiar Duck flies overhead. Then out crashes a very angry Amazon.  
"Bad Moo Moo, you no attack Ranma." The grammatically defective girl yells, chasing the duck.   
~Why do I always end up here~ he shakes his head sadly. Akane comes running out of the Dojo.  
"Shampoo you Baka how dare you ruin the cake I made for Ranma." She pauses for a minute. "Oh, hi Ryoga." Then she takes off again full force before Ryoga can utter a reply. He stands there twitching as Ryoga comes up behind him.  
"Stupid Tom Boy. At least now I don't have to eat it. Oh, hi Ryoga." By this time Ryoga is, of course, fuming with rage.  
"Ranma how dare you insult Akane. Prepare to die!" He runs at Ranma pulling his umbrella out of nowhere.  
"Damn it Ryoga don't you ever give up?"  
"Never, this is all your fault."  
~What's he blaming me for this time~ Ranma thinks to himself.  
Just as Ranma is about dodge him Ryoga stops. His shoulders slump as he turns away from Ranma.  
"What's the use any more?"  
"Ryoga?" Ranma says confused.  
  
I'm hungry, weary, but I cannot lay me down.  
The rain comes, dreary, but there's no shelter I have found.  
It will be a long time till I find my abode.  
Here I am, on Man's road.  
Walking man's road.  
  
~I'm too tired to fight anymore. Akane barely knows I'm alive Ranma will always beat me I have no home, no family, and no real friends. ~   
He randomly picks a path and as he starts down it his stomach begins to protest in hunger.  
~Damn I should have got supplies before I left town. Oh well, this won't be the first time I went without eating~  
He walks on down the long empty road.  
~It doesn't look like anyone has gone this way in a long time. The road is in pretty bad shape. It's just my luck. I'm so tired sleeping doesn't help anymore. It may replenish my body but my soul is still exhausted. ~ He keeps going till dusk when the road stops.  
~Huh how can this be roads don't just stop. It looks like it has grown over with unuse. How odd. ~ He keeps going straight across the field that is now in front of him when the sheer exhaustion over comes him and he passes out.  
He wakes up to find a huge pair of purple eyes above him.  
"AHH, Shampoo."  
"Oh some on it hasn't been that long since I've washed my hair. How rude."  
He quickly realizes his mistake and turns red.  
"I'm sorry I mistook you for someone else I know."  
"Oh, that's alright, I don't get many visitors so I'm glad for some company." She says smiling.  
He looks around him at his new surroundings. He appears to be in a small cottage. He looks at the girl in front of him more closely.  
~Ryoga, you baka. She looks nothing like Shampoo what were you thinking~   
The new girl did share the deep violet eye color that shampoo possessed but the comparison ended there. Instead of Purple hair this girls was blonde and went about mid back. She also was a bit taller then Shampoo. She breaks off his observations.  
"Are you hungry I was just about to eat?"  
"Umm, yes thank you. Do you know how I got here?"  
"Yes, I was walking home and I found you passed out in the middle of my field. I couldn't just leave ya there so I hauled ya back home. Good thing to it started raining shortly after. You would have caught a cold out there.  
"I use to love the rain." She says sadly. She then turns to go get the food.  
She soon comes back with two heaping bowls of ramen.   
"Sorry it's all I had time to make." Before she even finishes the sentence he's already wolfed down the entire bowl.  
~Jezz I'm getting as bad a Ranma. I hope she doesn't think I'm a pig~ He frowns at his unintentional joke. The girl mistakes his expression though.  
"Oh it wasn't any good was it? I'm sorry."  
"I was great I'm sorry I was just thinking. Thank you very much." He says bowing his head. "I'm sorry I forgot to introduce my self. I'm Ryoga.  
"And I'm Ariel." She says smiling. "Would you like to stay the night here before you start you journey again? I'm sure the storm will go all night."  
Ryoga shutters at the thought of traveling all night as P-Chan.  
"Thank you I would very much appreciate it."  
"No problem as I said I enjoy having company for a change. I've been alone for a long time now."  
"Me too. All I do is travel now a days." He says acknowledging that he's no stranger to loneliness. He coughs and leans over to steady himself.  
"Oh dear, are you alright let me get you a glass of water." She says hurrying back to the kitchen. She comes running back but unfortunately she forgot that she had left his umbrella in the middle of the room, and as she falls the glass goes flying in Ryoga's direction. She stares wide eyed as a kawaii little black pig replaces the boy who was just sitting there.   
"BWEEE." (Translation- oh crap the jig is up. Now she knows and she'll hate me because I'm a freak).  
Finally she finds her voice again. "You too"  
"BWEE?" (Translation- huh?)  
"Jusenkyo huh?" she says nodding sadly."  
"Bwee."(Translation- wow how does she know about that.) He shakes his head yes.  
She goes back to the kitchen and brings back a kettle of water, which she pours on him. She turns her head, as he gets dressed.  
"How do you know about Jusenkyo?"  
"Let's just say I'm not that great at planning vacation spots and I'm kinda clumsy." She says turning red.  
"What do you turn into?" he asks.  
"Well it's kinda hard to explain, or believe for that matter. Here let me just show you." She goes and gets more cold water and pours it over herself.  
Ryoga watches shocked.  
Ariel does an imitation of the little Jusankyo man. "Oh so very sad story happened 10,000 years ago. It is said an angel crashed to earth forming all the cursed springs now when someone fall in the middle one they take the form of the fallen angel." She flexes her huge purple wings as tears form in her eyes.  
"I hope you don't think I'm a freak now." She says.  
"How could you think I would? You turn in to angel I'm the freak."  
"No your not you turn into a kawaii little pig at least pigs are normal. I can't ever go in public for fear I'll get wet and someone will try to stick me in a lab and dissect me."  
"I'm sorry it never occurred to me. If it makes you feel any better people try to eat me."  
She gives a faint smile, "I'm sorry Ryoga you have just as much trouble as I do. She pours the hot water on here and her wings shrink and disappear.   
"I'm kinda tired I think I'll go to sleep. Good night Ryoga."  
"Goodnight Ariel." She comes back and brings him some bedding and then goes to her room and falls asleep.  
Ryoga lays awake listening to the storm outside. ~It sounds like it's calming down. Wow Ariel sure is nice she seems to like me even though she knows I'm a pig. I wonder... no she doesn't I shouldn't fool my self. She doesn't like me she's just being nice cause she knows what it's like to be cursed. ~ He soon drifts off and before he knows it's the next morning.   
~Maybe I should leave now she's not up yet and I don't' want to intrude any longer. ~ He quietly gets his pack and finds the path he came down. He starts down the road but soon gets lost amazingly enough that afternoon he finds himself at the Tendo Dojo.   
~Again I end up here. ~ He sighs and walks up to the door.  
"Hello Ryoga." Kasumi says as she opens the door. "I was just about to go tell Ranma it's time to eat. Please come in and join us as well." She says gesturing inside as she goes out.  
"Thank you Kasumi." He walks in and looks around. Genma and Soun are busy playing Go as usual.   
"Kasumi do you know were my... oh hi Ryoga." Akane says coming down the stairs.   
"Hi Akane." He says shyly.  
She sits and talks to him but for some reason his thoughts drift back to Ariel.   
"Ryoga are you ok?"  
"Yeah I'm fine."  
She nods and continues her story. " And then can you believe what that hentia Ranma did..." she drones on and Ryoga once again zones out.  
~It's bad enough she talk about him when I'm P-Chan but now I have to listen to it when I'm normal. He studies her face as she talks about how mad she at Ranma and then Ryoga realizes something.   
~Even when she's mad at him you can tell she loves him. Her eyes always get that glassy look. (Sigh) Damn you Ranma how can you lead her on like that. ~ As if on cue Ranma barrels in knocking Ryoga over.  
As Ryoga fumes Ranma can't resist taunting him.  
"Hey it's P-Chan"  
"Were? Where's P-Chan. Baka don't kid around you know much I miss P-Chan when he's gone." She says hitting him with her mallet that appears out of mid air.  
"Oh come on Akane that hurts." He sits down rubbing his head as he grabs some food.  
Ryoga picks at his food and watches Ranma and how when he thinks no one is looking he looks over at Akane and smiles.  
~Could it be that Ranma loves Akane? I should have guessed. I truly have no hope now. ~  
He finishes his meal and stands. "Thank you for the meal I have to go."  
Feeling more alone then ever he starts down the road again.  
  
Moon rising, disguising lonely streets in gay displays  
The stars fade, the nightshade, closing makes the world afraid.  
It waits in silence for the sky to explode.  
Here I am on Man's road.  
Walking man's road.  
  
He wanders through the city past the nightclubs lit up for the night, full of couples. Then thought rural district and the houses full of families.   
~I wish I had stayed with Ariel at least she understood me. ~  
He walks down an alley as someone decides to poor some water out of a second story window.  
"Bwee" he says irritated. He keeps wandering until he reaches the woods. Soon he starts to hear a rustling sound and then a huge wild cat comes running out attacking the poor defenseless pig. It swat at P-Chan as he tries to run and leaves a trail of blood down his back. P-Chan runs blindly through the dark forest trying to get away. Finally he some upon an old hollow log just big enough to accommodate him. He curls up in it and passes out.   
Again he wakes up to be looking in to a set of purple eyes. This time they are red rimmed as if she had been crying. He slowly sits up and notices the bandage around his chest. It hurts to move and lies back down gently so as to not hurt his back more.  
"I found you this morning. I was so worried after you took off the other day and then I found you and.. and ..." she starts to cry.  
Alarmed Ryoga sits up again " It's all right thank you for saving me. I didn't mean to make you worry I just didn't want to bother you."  
"Bother me? How could you bother me I think you terrific and very kawaii." She says blushing.  
"You, you do?"  
"Yes, I though you left because you didn't like me."  
"I'm sorry Ariel I like you too and I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since I left."  
"Really" she says with big eyes.  
"Yes."  
"Oh, Ryoga!" she cries as she flings her arms around him in a hug. He was about to have a nosebleed but the pain in his back canceled out any thought of that.   
"Owww."  
"Oh, I'm so sorry are you ok?"  
"Yeah I've had worse once I was hit in the face with a giant boulder for a few days."  
"Oww that must of hurt."  
"Surprisingly you get use to it after awhile" he says shrugging. Ariel can be seen with a giant sweat drop beside her.   
"Ryoga would you like to stay here with me?" Ariel asks looking into his hazel eyes.  
"I don't know. I suppose, but I should tell you I get lost a lot."  
"That's ok I fall over and run into things a lot."  
"Alright I'll stay with you then." He says for once in his life feeling like he belongs somewhere.  
"Ryoga can I ask you something."  
"Yes"  
"If I'm really careful do you think I could give you a hug?" she says with her eyes all shimmery.  
"Sure." He says and smiles.  
~I hope I don't have a nosebleed~  
She leans forward and gently puts her arms around him. She pulls back a little and he looks into her deep violet eyes. He slowly leans toward her and kisses her.  
~OH, my god I can't believe I had the nerve to do that. Hey wait she's not pulling away. Yes! ~  
They continue on like that for a while and finally they pull a way from each other, and both are blushing like mad.  
"How about I go make us something to eat?"  
"That will be great."  
"Promise to be here when I get back?" she asks smiling.  
"Always."   
  
Ok, ok what did ya think this is my first Ranma fic hope ya like it. Please leave reviews especially if ya want to see a sequel on this.   
Lots of reviews=sequel no reviews=no sequel.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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